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Virtual PC 7 Now Shipping

I've heard a*ahem* rumor that someone ran some PC benchmarks comparing that VPC 7 beta on a dual 2 Ghz G5 to VPC 6 running on a dual 1.25 G4 with OS 9.

The VPC 6 G4 outran the VPC 7 G5 by about 15% in every test (same hard disk image, same benchmark util, both machines had 2 gigs of RAM, 512 devoted to both virtual machines). The VPC 6 machine was subjectively "snappier" (had to throw that in) especially on disk operations it seemed.

It's unfair to judge a book by it's beta, so let's hope the VPC 7 release version is much faster... All the "debug code" removed, you know how it is ;)
 
Hatmac said:
VPC 7 / XP Pro shipped from MacMall and should be here Monday. I'll see how it runs on my G5 Dual 2 Gig

Bill
Click to expand...

Cool. It'll be nice to finally see some real impressions of the final release version. My order for the upgrade version isn't scheduled to ship until late October or early November. :rolleyes:
 
Lancetx said:
Cool. It'll be nice to finally see some real impressions of the final release version. My order for the upgrade version isn't scheduled to ship until late October or early November. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

So far I haven't got an E.Mail notification about a shipping date for my upgrade. It will be coming directly from Microsoft.
 
VPC

Well,

Microsoft offers a free alternative to virtual PC. Just use their free Remote Desktop Connection software to connect to somebody else's PC and control it remotely. I did this to use SPSS 12 for windows, which was on a friends PC, and then I emailed the results in a Word document from Outlook back to my Mac. This way you keep that awful PC out of your house, and keep that windows OS and emulation software off from your beloved Mac! LOL.

DBW
 
Remote Desktop Client is nice, but has a few limitations.
  • Windows XP Pro (or server) on the remote PC. XP Home won't work.
  • No 3D graphics so most games don't work (I suppose almost anything that takes full screen won't work)
  • It's still a bit sluggish, better than VPC and quite useable, but still slower than sitting at the console, even on a 100Mbit LAN.
I use it all the time to check on Outlook from my PowerBook. Works really, really well. To bring this back on topic, the reason that I am disappointed in VPC 7 and will not upgrade is the lack of the direct video card support. Every now and again there is an interesting game on the PC side that I'd like to play. I probably would've bought a PowerMac next time around if I knew I could get the performance of a reasonable Windows system out of it. Maybe Apple should fund the development of this feature to encourage people to buy PowerMacs over iMacs.
 
bought just virtual pc with no operating system ($114)

but I have windows xp installation disc. is this going to be difficult? :confused:
 
thehand said:
but I have windows xp installation disc. is this going to be difficult? :confused:
Click to expand...

mount the cd on ur desktop, start up the virtual pc and it will load off the cd....not too hard :D
 
Please excuse my ignorance, but I am interested to know

A very smart gentleman in another post quote the following:

"A very open minded and admirable sentiment. Computers are tools. I own lots of tools, and each has its use. I don't grumble when I come across a slotted screw because I have a bias towards my phillips-head screwdriver.

There are many times a Windows machine would make PDA related things easier - loading maps onto SD cards, or fetching golf courses from StarCaddy (I've been using Virtual PC, but that is a blunt tool indeed!) So why not set myself up with a cheap Windows box and a KVM switch, or spend the same money on a used laptop that will take up less space when not in use.

I guess there's this tacit idea in our heads that one box has to do everything. For me it started in 1986, when I got my first computer and started forming my fantasy about a paperless office. Well, almost 20 years later, I've spent tens of thousands of dollars in pursuit of that fantasy, and I'm still awash in paperwork. The computer has in that span of time replaced the typewriter, the stereo, the U.S. Mail, the television, the moviola, and a host of other technologies. We get this idea that it can do everything, and worse, that it SHOULD. (Marketers capitalize on this weakness to convince us that our six-month-old computer is obsolete.) It's this one-box-fits-all philosophy that forces us to choose sides between Windows and Mac machines. But it's a hollow ethic that has generated way too much ire and hot air."

I so much agree with him. I have noticed this in my life as well. I know that running virtual PC in a Mac will not be the same as running Windows on a PC itself. wouldn't just be better to get a good PC and run the windows apps just out of the PC and keep my Mac clean for my mac purposes? I know how technology is getting better and better, however, is of any significance to get obsessed about my Mac to behave like something is not yet? I mean, I am a recent switcher from Windows, and I am so happy with Mac that I would never go back again. But I am trying as much as I can to stay away from my Windows dependency, but Mac is just not quite enough, even tough I know that Mac Hardware and OS X is far superior, but not as broad yet to cover all needs of the PC market today. I think that if there is no Mac absolutely life for me, if I was to but the Office 7 for Mac in order to get VPC included and the suite of Office, I am better off linking my Mac to a PC and share the two computers. I have no need to do this, but I suffer a little being a loyal Mac only user. :confused:
 
Hatmac said:
VPC 7 / XP Pro shipped from MacMall and should be here Monday. I'll see how it runs on my G5 Dual 2 Gig

Bill
Click to expand...

VPC7 reports it is a 533MHz PC on my dual 2. the max memory you can give to the PC is 512MB. its pretty crappy.
 
I'm using VPC 7 beta version (don't ask how I got it). I reports 567mhz and 352mb RAM on my Stock 1.8 SP G5. I think it's pretty impressive and this is a beta version. Its far less jerky than on my same rammed version 6.1 on a 1Ghz G4 a friend has.

It's actually a whole lot more usable. Can't wait to see VPC7 retail, and if it's suitably priced (without OS pack - I have a volume liscence XP) then I'll buy it!
 
SpaceMagic said:
I'm using VPC 7 beta version (don't ask how I got it). I reports 567mhz and 352mb RAM on my Stock 1.8 SP G5. I think it's pretty impressive and this is a beta version. Its far less jerky than on my same rammed version 6.1 on a 1Ghz G4 a friend has.

It's actually a whole lot more usable. Can't wait to see VPC7 retail, and if it's suitably priced (without OS pack - I have a volume liscence XP) then I'll buy it!
Click to expand...

ah so you are getting vpc 7, magix? Cool!

Ive tryed out the beta and was impressed, it is faster and at least m$ was not lieing about the UI refreshing better.
 
I have Virtual PC 6 setup on my PB 1.33GHz 17". It reports that the PC is 250MHz and I've assigned it 512MB RAM. It runs good with some things and bad with others. If VPC7 can up that to over 500MHz I think it may be worth the upgrade.
 
VPC 6.1 with my system stats listed below (the ibook) Windows 98 SE reports roughly 290-300 mhz with no applications open (this is reported by a 3rd party mhz reporter).

On windows 2000 pro the same app reports roughly 150-250 mhz.



I am guessing with reviews of the vpc 7 beta and such I might be able to pull 400 with 98se and possibly 350 with 2k.

that would not be too bad, i used to use windows 2k on a 500 mhz amd k-6 machine and it was very usable.
 
sinclairZX81 said:
VPC7 reports it is a 533MHz PC on my dual 2. the max memory you can give to the PC is 512MB. its pretty crappy.
Click to expand...

dude,

pc's running microsoft os don't need more than 512mb. that is because the mem manager sux. in fact i have noticed my windows machines run slower with more memory than 512mb. YMMV. but i doubt it.

the emulation layer is the bottleneck. not the memory.

jaromski
 
jaromski said:
dude,

pc's running microsoft os don't need more than 512mb. that is because the mem manager sux. in fact i have noticed my windows machines run slower with more memory than 512mb. YMMV. but i doubt it.

the emulation layer is the bottleneck. not the memory.
Click to expand...

He's mostly correct. maybe the 640 - 768 range is about where it tops out but anything over 512 on a XP machine is usually a waste of space. 2003 is different though, but that's a server OS.
 
why bother?

for a couple hundred dollars more you can buy an inexpensive windoze system...why waste $250 on a lame program that has a terrible track record (and tire out your lovely mac with ugly windoze software), when you can get a whole system for just a little more?
 
Mr. Monsieur said:
for a couple hundred dollars more you can buy an inexpensive windoze system...why waste $250 on a lame program that has a terrible track record (and tire out your lovely mac with ugly windoze software), when you can get a whole system for just a little more?
Click to expand...
Maybe because you're on the road 50% of your life, and it isn't practical or desirable to carry two laptops around?
 
granted

Maybe because you're on the road 50% of your life, and it isn't practical or desirable to carry two laptops around?
Click to expand...

ah...oui, oui...touche...you're right, of course...unless, of course you are trying to build big muscles.
i forget that many people *are* on the road a great deal...what a headache...well...i certainly do *hope* that vpc7 is better...i was just singularly unimpressed by vpc6 and am looking for ways to bypass it... :eek:
 
VPC 7 / XP Pro retail edition received

Just got VPC / XP Pro today from MacMall. Installed it on my Dual G5 2gig.
List the processor as 533 Mhz with 512m of ram and 16m of video ram.
Installed Visio 2000 and Office 2000 so far. No games yet.
Visio worked as well as it does on my wifes new Dull laptop from her office.
I can't out type MS Word. did'nt try Excel or Powerpoint. I am going to try
autocad 2000 as soon as I can get a copy from work and will report how it seems to work.

If you have to run Windows only software and have a G5. I would think this is an acceptable solution.

Bill
 
Nice of microsoft to ship all versions of this product except the "upgrade" version. lame.

Edit: ok, after further research, only the XP Pro version is shipping, still lame.
 
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